As Edward rewatched the videos of Macie from her college days, he found himself drawn to the radiant, talented young woman she had been. He couldn't help but wonder—if Sharon hadn't been in the picture, would he and Macie have naturally fallen in love?And then there was the previous night when Edward had slept in Macie's room. He had laid on her mattress, trying to catch a hint of her scent. She had consumed his thoughts. After finishing his shower, Edward stepped out of the bathroom, the cool air helping to clear his mind. He felt like he had reached a conclusion.It didn't matter if he loved Macie. He didn't want her to leave his sight or slip out of his control. When Edward saw the crumpled divorce agreement by the bed, he walked over, intending to tear it up. But he noticed the watermark and case analysis in the document's body before he could. Edward was speechless. It was a serious printing error. Back in the office, he had been so blinded by anger that he hadn't checked
"Why should I give it to you? Are you going to pester May?" Yosef snapped.Edward pursed his lips before muttering, "I'm not pestering her. I just…"He lowered his voice and continued, "I just want to know where she is and bring her back.""Why would you do that? Weren't you the one who wanted a divorce? You already signed the divorce agreement. You're her ex-husband now, so why are you still interfering in her life?" Yosef barked from the other end of the line."I never wanted a divorce. I didn't sign that, and I never even saw those documents," Edward quickly denied. "So, you're saying that May forged them and lied to me? Isn't that what you told Nolan, too?" Yosef listened to his grandson ranting on the other end, then spoke calmly."That's exactly what happened. She left me a copy and sent the original to you, but my signature was forged. It has no legal standing," Edward insisted.He paused for a couple of seconds, then softened his tone. "Grandpa, please don't be angry.
At that moment, Sharon finally stirred awake by the door. Seeing Edward already awake, she propped herself up against the wall.Her voice was hoarse as she said, "Ed… can we start over? Let's forget about those two years. After all, we both made mistakes."Edward stepped out, and she grabbed his arm. However, he shook her off, his expression cold."I made myself clear last night. Don't bother playing the sympathy card. Move out of my place today.""Ed, Ed…" Sharon followed him. But after spending the night by the door, her limbs went numb, and she fell on the floor.She assumed that he would turn around like before, offer her a hand, and check on her. But this time, he didn't even glance back. He just slipped his shoes on and walked out the door.When Edward finally turned around, Sharon was still on the floor and looked at him with tearful eyes."Ed…" she cried out.But his expression was indifferent, and his eyes carried a cold chill."If you don't move out today, don't bl
"Back when you were in eighth grade and about to start high school, I refused to let your father's mistress into the family. I did everything to protect your position as the rightful heir and kept that woman's illegitimate child from ever being acknowledged as a Fowler," Yosef said.He went on, "But look at you. You grew up to be just like your father. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?"There wasn't a single curse word in the scolding, but to Edward, it was the harshest thing he'd ever heard. Every word cut deep and left him feeling wounded and exposed."I'm sorry, Grandpa… Paparazzi swarmed Sharon's hotel, and her bag was stolen. She lost her ID and couldn't check into a hotel," Edward explained in a low voice."And that's why you let her stay at your place? If you're so charitable, why don't you start taking in stray cats and dogs?" Yosef shot back.Edward was left speechless and unable to come up with a response."How long has she been staying there?" Yosef pr
After breakfast, Nathan brought the lawyer to the Fowler residence. But the moment they arrived, Edward tried to send them away."Heh, feeling nervous? With all three parties here, you won't be able to accuse May of forging documents again." Yosef scoffed.Edward gritted his teeth as he shot a warning glare at the lawyer to stop him from speaking out of turn. He even secretly texted the lawyer to claim that the signature was forged.But Yosef saw right through it and ordered Nolan to confiscate all the communication devices from the lawyers representing both parties. The original documents were brought out for comparison. Yosef even had the attendants block Edward from getting close.In the end, the lawyers reached a unanimous conclusion. One of them stood up and reported, "Mr. Fowler Senior, this is indeed Mr. Edward's signature."The words hit Edward like a sudden blow. He stood frozen, and his eyes reddened as he shouted, "I didn't sign it. I swear I didn't."He continued,
"May, Ed knows that he was wrong. He's been looking for you these past few days," Yosef said.He continued, "I'll get someone to deal with Sharon. Can you please forgive him just this once? Give him another chance."Ed has fallen for you, though he didn't realize it until now. He just told me that he didn't want the divorce, and he even cried. I promise that he'll be a good husband to you from here on out."On the other end of the line, Macie's expression remained cold and unaffected by his words. She should've known better than to think that Yosef could resolve the divorce issue. She shouldn't have even picked up the call. Now, it seemed that Yosef was even pleading on Edward's behalf.Pigs flying, the world ending, or the sun rising in the west—any of those seemed more believable than Edward suddenly turning over a new leaf."Mr. Fowler Senior, you're asking me to give him another chance. But can I ask you to give me a chance to live?" Macie asked.On the other end of the lin
"So… it's true?" Yosef asked.On the other end of the line, he still couldn't believe it even after hearing the answers."It's not just true. There's more," Nathan replied. "I'll put everything in a message and send it to you."After hanging up, he quickly typed out everything he knew about Macie's sufferings and the incident with Edward bringing Sharon into their home. Although Edward and Macie were already divorced, Nathan felt that Yosef still cared for Macie and might be able to help her get some justice.The ride was eerily silent.Edward sat in the backseat, lost in thought. He still couldn't believe that he and Macie were divorced.At the same time, he was grappling with the truth from two years ago—that his grandfather had forced her to marry him. She had been innocent all along, yet he had resented her for two years.Edward raised his hand to cover his face. His throat tightened, and his eyes burned with unshed tears as sorrow washed over him.He couldn't stop thinki
In the passenger seat, Nathan heard Edward sobbing and shouting. Frowning, Nathan sighed inwardly. If Edward knew that it would come to this, why had he been so sure of himself before?Just days ago, Nathan had warned him to be honest with himself, but Edward had insisted he'd never regret his choices.No matter how much Edward begged or cried at the Fowler residence, Yosef refused to waver. Any thoughts of reconciling Edward and Macie had been completely snuffed out. The call was ruthlessly ended. Before hanging up, Yosef left him with only one cold remark. "You're not good enough for May."In the backseat, Edward redialed the number, but his grandfather refused to answer the call. It was only then that Edward's heart truly shattered, and regret crashed over him in waves.The man who was always so stoic and composed now broke down in anguish. His cries were raw and desperate, like a lost puppy abandoned on the side of the road. He clutched his head and was unable to hold back
Yosef barked over the phone, "Edward and Macie's divorce isn't even final yet, and you were already rushing to arrange a marriage alliance with the Hart family. Did you seriously think that Edward would thank you for that? Don't give me that 'I did it for his own good' bullshit! You were clearly looking for your own gain!"After being chided by his own father, Bennett's face darkened. Clutching his phone tightly, he shot back, unwilling to back down, "Do you think your precious grandson will forever be grateful to you? You're doing the exact same thing you did to me—forcing him to marry someone he doesn't even like! The only difference is that, at least, my ex-wife came from a reputable family!"Yet, you made him marry an orphan with no notable background and no family to speak of. Careful, or one day he might realize the truth and hate you so much that he won't even show up at your funeral!""Y-You ungrateful little bastard!" Yosef was shaking. He was about to curse at Bennet when
Back when the Hart family tried to propose a marriage alliance to the Fowlers, they found out that Edward was already married. Now, the Fowlers had brought up the idea of an alliance again, claiming that he was already divorced.Diana had always wondered why the marriage hadn't been made public two years ago. The Fowlers were the kind of family that cared about social standing. Would the bride's family really agree to a hidden marriage? But after learning who Edward's ex-wife was, things started to make more sense. She figured that the elders of the Fowler family must have disapproved of the match altogether, so they skipped all the formalities. In the end, their marriage only lasted two years."Either way, Edward's not a good man," Sean added. "Alice said he was violent and that he put his ex-wife in the hospital with fractured bones. Also, do you remember his cheating scandal a while back? He nearly got her killed in a gas leak while trying to pressure her into a divorce."Every
Alice's words stunned Macie. The latter simply looked at Alice. She wondered who had the guts to trash-talk Alice and if it was another heiress from the same social circle."Do you need my help?" Macie asked.Alice shook her head. "It's better if you don't get involved. If you show up…" She paused. "You might get dragged into this, too. Don't worry. I can handle it."If Macie joined her in exchanging insults and Edward showed up mid-argument, he would drop his temper in a heartbeat and start groveling like a puppy. Alice felt gross when she thought about that. It'd be like watching a pig roll around with her prize-winning cabbage.So, she kept going toe-to-toe with that mad dog Edward. She called him out publicly and stirred things up in the socialite group chat. Her goal was to tarnish his reputation and warn the other women before anyone else was fooled by his polished mask and rotten core.That night, Edward's reputation was in ruins. Within their circle of elite families, he
Alice's instincts moved faster than her brain. She grabbed the phone from Macie's hand and smiled wryly. "Don't call back. It might be—"Macie interjected, "It's Nathan, Edward's assistant."Alice froze. Her face shifted through a range of emotions. She turned her head and said guiltily, "You've divorced Edward, right? Don't answer it or call back. It's probably because you blocked him, and now he's using Nathan's phone to contact you."Macie pressed her lips together and didn't respond. She had guessed as much and wasn't planning on returning the call.Alice quickly blocked the number, deleted the call log, and returned the phone to Macie."I already blocked that number. Don't answer calls from anyone related to Edward," she said.Macie nodded and continued to watch the movie. Alice was about to set the phone down when the messages started flooding in. The pinging sound felt like a ticking clock.Those messages were from Edward, and the content of his texts were insults dir
The officer looked at Edward and said, "Mr. Fowler, please mind your tone and choice of words. The other party has already agreed not to press charges."Edward slammed his fist onto the table furiously. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why the hell should Alice forgive me? This is completely messed up.""Ha, stubborn as a mule. How about—" Before Alice could finish, Nathan quickly stepped in and ended the call.He turned to the officer and smiled awkwardly. "Officer, we've provided all the necessary information. The other party has already verbally forgiven us. Can we go now?"The officer glanced at Edward and noticed that the release form hadn't been signed yet. Edward sat there, fuming. He wanted to tear the damn paper in half."Mr. Fowler, please sign it," Nathan urged as he approached him.Edward was seething. He'd never swallowed this kind of humiliation before. But if he didn't sign the document, he couldn't leave. And dragging in his connections would only tip off Yosef—some
"Mr. Fowler broke in illegally tonight, tricked the security, and even threatened me," Alice said.By now, the standoff had been resolved. The police had taken Edward into custody, but he was still cursing at her.She watched as he was led away. She scoffed, then turned to the security guard. "Remember his face. If he ever comes near the building again, call the police."The guard nodded. They were grateful that Alice had noticed in time. If the suspect had attacked Macie, a resident under their care, they would've been legally liable for it.The security team leader stepped forward and spoke to Alice. He tried to persuade her not to report the property management's failure to the authorities.She agreed and didn't give them a hard time. But her agreement was on one condition—that the security guard do not inform Macie about that night's events. Alice would tell Macie later.The security team leader understood. He assured her that the reminder sent to the property group would not
Alice went to the kitchen and told Macie that her brother had shown up. Then, she hurried downstairs. Macie didn't think anything of it.Outside the residential complex, Alice met the guards and police. She helped them to confirm Edward's identity. She also showed them her phone. Then, she explained that Edward had tricked his way inside and that she hadn't realized what he was doing at the time.Edward was ultimately arrested. He shot a vicious glare at Alice, who turned against him. He thought that the Hart brother and sister were a pair of damn troublemakers.Alice stared right back without a hint of fear. Edward was in a mess—his hair was disheveled, and his shirt was wrinkled. There wasn't a trace of that polished CEO image left."Well, well, well," Alice said sneeringly. "Mr. Fowler, breaking into someone's home and lying your way in? I can't wait to see what that does to your reputation."When they heard her address Edward as "Mr. Fowler", the police and security guards
"Sean wants to check in with the security guards to make sure everything's safe," Alice said.Macie quickly slipped off her gloves, grabbed her phone, and searched for the number. Alice took one quick look, memorized the number, then bolted back to her room and securely locked the door.The guard picked up the phone almost immediately. Alice hurriedly said, "There's a man outside the entrance trying to get in. His name is Edward Fowler. You need to stop him now!"He's dangerous and violent. If he gets to Macie Smith, the resident here, he could hurt her. And if that happens, your whole team will be held accountable."Inside the security booth, the guard on the phone glanced outside and shouted, "Is someone named Edward Fowler trying to get in? Stop him! He's a threat to a resident!"The guard at the entrance checked the visitor's log. As expected, it was the same suspicious man from earlier. It turned out that their instinct was right. The guard immediately alerted his compa
Alice texted Edward, "Where are you?"Edward shared his location.When she saw the name of the residential complex where he was, a chill shot down her spine.It turned out that this stalker was outside the entrance. She wondered if he had followed them there earlier. At that thought, she determined that it was because she'd let her guard down.Alice stole another glance across from her, only to lock eyes with Macie."What's wrong?" Macie asked when she noticed the sudden change in her friend's expression."It's nothing," Alice responded, smiling. "It's just my brother being annoying again."Macie nodded. Casually, Alice asked, "Is the security in this residential complex good? Strangers can't just walk in, right?"Macie thought that Alice's brother was overprotective, so she answered, "It's pretty tight. Security's on duty 24/7. No outsiders can get through unless a resident personally led them in."Alice was relieved to hear that. She figured that Edward was probably stuck at